Never Stop Wishing
by exiledasrogue
Summary: Cliche Christmas stories can be fun to write, but they're very out of place when preparing for July. Matthew's lonely and he's almost given up on his family ever really noticing, but luckily he runs into a man with a similar problem in a rather unusual manner. Will his story climax by New Year's? Read and find out! GilbertxMatthew, PruCan.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey. So I didn't have plans to post any of this until much later in the case that I actually knew what I was doing with my plot. However, the state of Indiana ruled that the ban on same sex marriage was unconstitutional today. So as of earlier this Wednesday, gay couples could get married in a few counties in Indiana, which means that America is one step closer to human rights! Yay... so I decided I had to post ****_something_**** or I wouldn't know what to do with myself. **

**The main pairing is PruCan, with a little bit of GerIta and Spamano mentioned. There's also a little bit of swearing. **

******So here's this chapter of a random fic I started earlier this week. Enjoy.**

* * *

**December 1st. **

It was December 1st and I was sitting on the couch, trying not to let myself fall into my usual holiday slump. The doorbell rang and I groaned loudly, barely willing to summon the energy to get up and answer it.

The likelihood of it being anyone but a salesman was very low. It could be carolers, but that was unlikely. It wasn't _that_ close to Christmas, and my house was a little further off from the rest of my relatively small neighborhood.

There was a small glimmer of hope in my mind that maybe it was someone I knew, maybe my brother. Occasionally he had strange fits where he wanted to spend all his time with me, only to forget my name the next week. With that optimism in mind, I trudged to the door and opened it.

It wasn't Alfred.

It was a very pale man with what seemed like white hair who was standing on my porch, facing away from the entry. He turned to look at me when I opened the door, and I noted the dull red color of his eyes. That was certainly unusual.

"Um… Hello?" I began, uncertain what to think. This man didn't in any way look like a salesman, and he definitely wasn't someone I knew. What was he doing on my front step?

"Oh… _Hallo, Fraulein_!" He greeted enthusiastically. I just stared at him.

"Who are you?" I demanded.

"Kesese… My name is Gilbert. Can I come in?" What a strange little man.

"Um… no. I'd rather you didn't, actually." I replied, unsure of _why the hell_ this stranger wanted to come inside my house. To my surprise, the stranger- _Gilbert_, apparently- ignored my response, pushed past me, and strolled right into my living room. Annoyed, confused, and a little frightened, I grabbed the hockey stick from the top of the doorframe and followed Gilbert into the house.

"Okay, _Gilbert_," I growled, "You need to tell me what you want and _get out of my house_ or I swear I'll cut your skin off one layer at a time with a sharp kitchen knife just for being here." Well, that had come out rather better than I expected. I had always wanted to threaten someone, but never really got a chance to do so in a setting where the threat-ee would actually realize I was talking to them.

Huh. That was a good point. This _Gilbert_ guy seemed to have no problem noticing me. That was a nice change.

"A _sharp_ kitchen knife? Isn't a _blunt_ knife the cliché?" he asked mockingly.

"I _would_ use a blunt knife because I'm a big fan of how painful it is for the victim, however, I love the elegance of a sharp knife so I would definitely say it's my secondary weapon of choice.

Gilbert looked up at me, saw the intimidating way I was brandishing my trusted hockey stick, and immediately tensed up. It must've been clear what my first weapon of choice was.

"Oh, _Sheiße_, sorry, okay, well. Can you sit down? I'm not going to do anything bad, I promise. I just…" I simply glared at him as he rambled. "Okay, okay. Well. You see, hmm. I'm not sure how to explain this. Okay, so I have this awesome little brother. He's not as awesome as me, and he's definitely less awesome after the little stunt he pulled today, but he's still pretty awesome. It's probably from all the years he's spent basking in my awesome presence. His name is Ludwig.

"He's got this cute little Italian boyfriend who invited Ludwig to come to their family Christmas back in Italy. The thing is, Luddy didn't tell me about this little trip of his until noon today when he told me that I had an hour to pack some bags and get out of the house. Apparently he didn't trust me to stay at home by myself for a month and he didn't want me to come with them to Italy, so he kicked me out and locked the door behind us and then he was on his flight and I was stuck outside the house with no form of transportation and nowhere to go.

"Sure, I could've broken a window or something because I'm awesome like that, but Luddy would've killed me when he got back because he's ridiculously buff like I don't think you can even understand how scary he is. Anyways, I just kinda started walking.

"I was thinking about all the places I could go, since, ya know, it's winter and it was starting to snow and I was about to freeze to death. I've got these two friends- Francis and Antonio. They're both pretty great, but Francis is kind of a manwhore and it sucks living with him and Antonio's boyfriend is a little bitch. And I think Antonio went to Italy as well, since his boyfriend is Luddy's boyfriend's brother. I think. Anyways, I didn't feel like either of their houses were awesome enough for me to stay in for a whole month.

"I ended up wandering through a couple different neighborhoods, and eventually I came to this one because I remember wanting to live here when Ludwig and I were looking at houses. I figured if I got this awesome opportunity to live wherever I wanted for a month, why not live in the most awesome house in town?

"I got here and then I saw your car and I realized that someone lived here. I guess I hadn't really thought that through, but oh well. I figured I would knock on the door and if the person living here was awesome enough, then I'd just live with them. And you answered the door, and, well, you're really cute. I thought you were a girl at first, did you know that? But you're not, I think. So yeah. That's my awesome little story for today." I gaped at him. I didn't think anyone except for Alfred could speak for that long without stopping.

"Wait. You want to _live_ with me?" I screeched a little in disbelief, winced at the sound I had made, and quickly lowered my voice. "I don't even know you. _You_ don't even know _me_!" To my complete and utter disbelief, he only shrugged.

"Well. You seem pretty awesome. Not as awesome as me, of course, but that's impossible so it doesn't matter. Besides, what do I have to lose? It's not like you can really do anything to me. You don't _seem_ like a psychopath or anything."

"Ah haha no, I'm not." I laughed weakly. "The neighborhood's resident crazy lives down the street- Ivan. He's one of my friends, actually." Gilbert looked unfazed. "But really, you can't honestly believe I'll let you stay at my house! You're a complete stranger! And _you_ may have nothing to lose, but I have plenty to lose and I don't want to risk that!"

"Really? What do you have to lose- from me, at least?" Gilbert asked. I only stared at, oh-so-very bewildered by this bizarre event. "I'm not a bad guy- surely you can tell that, at least? Or not too bad. Some people say I'm a little eccentric, but I'm pretty sure that just means weird and I don't really care about that. Obviously they're all just too ashamed to admit how much awesomer than them I am. Okay, anyways, what's your name?"

"Matthew," I sighed, not wanting to get into another argument. I wasn't really used to so much… _domestic_ conflict.

"So you _are _a boy! Okay, Mattie, look around yourself." I made a small noise of protest at the nickname, but did as he said. "You've got all these pictures of you and your family. Yet in the pictures, the few that actually have you in them, you're standing off to side a bit. The other three don't seem to notice. And I can easily guess that all the others were pictures you took that they didn't bother to get you in. How much are you actually a part of your family? How invisible are you really? What do you have to lose?"

I looked at this stranger, and maybe I imagined it, but I thought I could see the glimmer of a kindred spirit looking back at me in those crimson eyes. Maybe Gilbert was lonely too. Maybe he was used to being forgotten, left behind, or maybe he was simply afraid of it happening. Either way, I couldn't deny it any longer.

I didn't want to be alone for Christmas. I wasn't planning on bothering to go to the enormous Kirkland reunion where I'd just be ignored once again, but Kumajiro (the stuffed polar bear) wasn't really compensation for the craving of human contact that all people had. And maybe it was crazy, but I had a feeling that Gilbert would be staying at my house for the entire month of December, if only for my own selfish reasons.

"Fuck you," I muttered, irritated that he was right. "I reserve the right to kick you out whenever the heck I want to, got it?"

"Of course!" Gilbert grinned maniacally. "What type of person do you take me for? You really think I'd just take advantage of someone's hospitality like that? Never!"

I just growled and stalked away, ignoring the cackling behind me.

* * *

**Due to the fact of Prussia being Prussia, I had to add the word 'awesomer' to my dictionary. I'm sorry if you think I overdid the awesome. I feel like it's Prussia's nervous tic, so when he's unsure of himself he emphasizes the awesome. **

**I also had to add 'hoser' for one of my other stories, but oh well. **

**Also, I apologize that I made Matthew sound a little Belarussian there for a minute. If you require a headcanon to make you happy, just assume that Canada ran into Belarus once when he was visiting Ukraine and Belarus didn't see him as a threat so she taught him some things to help protect Ukraine. Yeah. That's what happened.**

**Anyways, if you have any ideas or feedback, I'd be glad to hear it, seeing as I only have three paragraphs of the next chapter written. Thanks.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hallo! Today is Canada's birthday and it would've killed me to not post something. Luckily, I was almost done with this chapter anyways, so I didn't have to rush very much. **

**I still don't know what I'm doing with the plot. I have exactly 2.5 chapter ideas, but I know for sure it'll end up being longer than that, so again, if you have any ideas please tell me.**

**There is a very long note at the end so for now, just enjoy.**

* * *

**December 1st. **

"Okay, okay. Before you do anything else, I need to set some rules." I announced as I walked back into the living room around dinner time only to find that the first floor of my house had been converted into an enormous pillow fort.

"What do you mean, _anything else_? I've barely even started!" I spared the albino a single disgusted glance before perching myself on the throne that had been so carefully constructed out of my favorite armchair. "Hey hey you can't sit there that's for me I'm the king!"

"Not anymore. Anyways, I have some rules-"

"Laws," Gilbert interjected immediately. I gave him a look and he elaborated. "If you're going to be king you have to do it right." I sighed in exasperation and he stared at me in horror. "Have you ever even been king before?"

"Have _you_?" I snapped.

"Of course. I'm always the king."

"Fine," I groaned. "I have some new _laws_ for my… _kingdom._" Gilbert stopped and looked at me with a grin, eagerly awaiting my next words. I paused, trying to figure out how to word what I wanted to say.

_If you're going to stay here, you have to clean up after yourself. This pillow fort included._

"The…" I had to stop and think what this man who I had only just met would think of himself as. "… _military_… is _moving camp_… this current site will need to be packed up and moved by tomorrow."

"Aww, alright." Gilbert whined. "Where are we moving?"

"The… uh… _territory_… over there." I gave up on his ridiculous lingo for just a moment and pointed to the guest bedroom. Gilbert nodded in understanding.

_If you break or steal anything, you'll regret it._

"Um… _treason_… of any kind… is _punishable_… by death." I smiled, pleased with myself. Gilbert looked eerily contemplative.

"What counts as treason?" It was rather perturbing that he had to ask that question- as if things he would have done would be possibly 'treason' if I hadn't laid out the… _laws._

"Well… theft from the kingdom, destruction of the king's property… things like that." I replied carefully.

"Oh, that's all? Okay then," Gilbert's beam was a little too innocent for me to feel comfortable.

_I want you to do your share of cooking._

"Let's see… um… _soldiers_... have to take a turn in the… umm… _galley_? Three times a week." I wasn't sure how to phrase that one… wasn't there some old English word for kitchen? I didn't think galley was quite right, but I figured it was close enough.

"Galley? You mean the kitchen?" Okay, apparently it _wasn't_ good enough. "Galleys are only in ships." Well, I was pretty close to being right. Kinda.

"Oh. Then yeah, the kitchen."

"But not tonight, right?"

"No, not tonight." I laughed. "The, uh, _royal family_ will provide food tonight."

_Stay away from my room. And my office. And my… actually, just stay downstairs._

"The king's quarters are not to be entered unless it's an emergency."

"What constitutes an emergency?" Gilbert asked.

"Stuff being on fire… major damage to the house… things like that." I tried to think of things that would really matter as far as an emergency went.

"So…" and here I was surprised because this ridiculously egotistic guy blushed and refused to meet my eyes as he spoke. "Thunderstorms don't count?"

"W-what?" I stammered, bewildered by the question. "Of course not. How are thunderstorms in any way an emergency?"

"They're not, of course they're not. I just… well… Luddy used to be afraid of them when he was little, so he'd climb into my bed so I was just kinda used to that and I thought maybe… you know what? Never mind. Don't worry about it." I frowned, concerned by the way he avoided explaining why he really brought it up. Was Gilbert afraid of thunderstorms? It seemed unlikely, but honestly, anything was possible at this point.

"Um… okay then. I, uh… I think that's all the laws for now. I might add more later. You're, um, dismissed, I guess."

"Thank you, _your Majesty_." Gilbert laughed and jumped up from his spot on the ground. "C'mon Gilbird, _los geht's_! There's things to do, people to see!" As he said that, a yellow bird appeared from a small blanket nest by the fireplace and flew after Gilbert as he ran out into the backyard. Confused, I ignored the spectacle and went to the kitchen to make dinner.

* * *

"Oi! Soldier! Food's ready!" I called out the door. Gilbert and, well, _Gilbird_, I guess, had spent the entire evening gallivanting around the yard instead of cleaning up. I didn't really care, as long as it was gone by tomorrow. The strange pair came bounding in at the call and settled themselves at the table.

"Woah! Is this what I think it is?" I peered over my shoulder to see Gilbert prodding the bowl of bird seed I had left out for Gilbird.

"That's bird seed. I thought Gilbird would need something to eat, and human food definitely isn't good for him." I replied.

"Oh my gosh you're even awesomer than I thought!" And suddenly, I was wrapped in a pair of warm, pale, bony arms. For some reason I couldn't bring myself to be bothered by it. That is, until one of those hands was far too obviously grasping my butt. Startled, I pushed Gilbert away with a squeak.

"What are you doing?" I demanded. Gilbert just grinned.

"I don't know what you're talking about, your Majesty." I scowled and walked away with an indignant huff.

I returned to the table with a tray of lasagna to find that Gilbert had seated himself in a chair acting as if nothing had ever happened. I cautiously slid into a chair diagonally across from him, just in case.

"Here. Food. Eat." I instructed oh-so-eloquently. Gilbert didn't protest and dug in with gusto.

"Mmm, this is actually pretty good. Feli- that's Luddy's boyfriend- makes different kinds of pasta all the freaking time and he's a fantastic cook so I thought this would suck in comparison but it doesn't."

"Um. Thanks, I guess. This is freezer food, but sure. Thanks." I could cook alright, I was just usually too tired or lazy to cook good food. And there were plenty of foods I loved that just took too much time, so it was often easier to simply eat freezer food.

"Still. This is awesome." There was silence for a moment before I noticed that Gilbert was feeding Gilbird some of his lasagna.

"Hey, you know that that's really bad for him? If you keep feeding Gilbird your food he'll eventually be unable to fly." I said. Gilbert stared at me in horror.

"Are you serious?" I nodded and Gilbert leaped up from his chair. "GILBIRD! _Es tut mir Leid,_ _meine kleine Vogel_! You have to stop eating that I'm sorry please forgive me!" He cradled the small bird against his cheek and stroked him carefully.

"Um… he's going to be fine, you know? Just don't let him eat it anymore," I commented, vaguely disturbed by the albino's attachment to the bird.

"How do you know that, anyways?" Gilbert glared at me suspiciously. I sighed in exasperation.

"I'm a _vet_, of course I'd know."

"Oh. Okay. Well that's pretty awesome because animals are awesome. But I'm still awesomer." I just rolled my eyes in response and moved to clean up the kitchen.

When that was done, I went to the living room to turn on a replay of an old Red Wings game. I was sorely missing my hockey games now that the season was over, but there wasn't much that could be done about it. I had nobody to play with so I all I could do was wait for the next season.

I listened to the game while I made sure the guest room was habitable. There was a little bit of dusting to do. I went ahead and vacuumed because I figured it needed it whether the dirt was visible or not. Alfred had been the last one to use the room, but that was almost a year and a half ago for our birthdays, which were only a couple days apart.

I left the bedroom door open to make sure Gilbert would know where he was sleeping and turned the hockey game off once it ended. After a moment of contemplation, I got some rope and tied it across the banister of the stairwell, hoping to make it clear that I didn't want anyone to intrude on my personal space.

I didn't see my intruder around anywhere, so I turned off the lights and headed upstairs. Hopefully tomorrow I could figure what exactly I expected to gain by allowing a complete stranger free run of my home.

* * *

**I feel like I way overdid the italics, but I wasn't sure how else to show what Matthew wanted to say and how he actually said it. Oh well.**

**I think people generally depict Prussia as being ruder than he actually is. In my mind that's just a front for him because he's actually so insecure about not being a nation any more. What I was trying to do with the kingdom sequence thing is that I think Prussia respects the fact that it is, in fact, Matthew's house, and he's grateful for the hospitality that he's providing. However, because he's so insecure, he needs to have some control of the situation. So he's willing to follow Matthew's rules, as long as he can follow them ****_his_**** way. Gilbert instated the kingdom façade/game to put himself as Matthew's equal, but still below/respectful to him, and also so that he knows his boundaries and such.**

**I'm not a vet. I made the thing about Gilbird not eating human food up. I figure it's probably true, but I really don't know.**

**For the Detroit Red Wings, I just chose a professional hockey team from Michigan. That was literally all I did. I don't even know if games ever get replayed. I just decided that at least for this story they do.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey. Sorry it's been so long. I wasn't sure what to write about, and I had basically zero ideas. But then I spent about four hours brainstorming and I created a calendar that maps out the entire month of December for little Canada and Prussia. So now I know exactly what to write about. It's great.**

**I'm also sorry because this is a super short chapter that isn't about anything, but it should be okay because I'll have another much longer chapter up tomorrow.**

**I think that's all. Have fun.**

* * *

**December 2****nd**

I walked downstairs pretty early in the morning, still in my pajamas and feeling groggy and was surprised to find Gilbert sitting at the kitchen counter, building a tower of cards. A quick peek into the living room proved that yes, he had in fact cleaned up the pillow fort at some point in the past twelve hours. The armchair throne was still there, but I didn't question it.

"_Guten Morgen, Fraulein._" Gilbert greeted quietly. I blinked.

"Hi. You're up early." I commented, unsure of what else to say.

"I didn't sleep." He stated.

"Um… I'm sorry?"

"Don't worry. I don't sleep. This is normal."

"Alright. Well. Thanks for cleaning up." The German just grunted in reply. "Do you want breakfast?" I offered.

"What are you making?"

"Pancakes."

"Pancakes? Hmm… I think Ludwig tried making those once. It didn't end well."

"I can assure you that few other chefs in your lifetime will ever contest my pancake making skills." I may or may not have sent him a smug smirk to accompany that statement.

"Huh. Cool. The awesome me will have some of your pancakes and we will see if they are as awesome as you make them out to be." I rolled my eyes and set to work in the kitchen.

I kept an eye on Gilbert as I cooked, wondering what he meant by 'I don't sleep'. He had to sleep at some point. Maybe he was nocturnal? Unlikely, but definitely possible.

"Hey, Gilbert…." I waited patiently for him to finish the row he was on before he looked up at me. "Do you have a job or something? What do you do?" He sighed and leaned back in his chair.

"I work as a bartender on weekends. I take the whole shift, so it pays pretty well, and it means I get the whole week off. It's pretty awesome, really."

"I see… when you mean you take the 'whole shift'… what does that mean, exactly?" A _bartender_? Really? Could he make himself appear any more undignified?

"It means I start work 8 pm Friday and end noon Sunday. Sure, it's kinda a long shift but it works for me." I gaped at him. He had a _forty hour_ work shift? Who in the world thought that was a good idea?

"Do you… do you sleep any time during that?" I asked timidly.

"Pshh. What kind of work ethic do you think I have- sleeping on the job? No way. I'm too awesome for that."

"No wonder you have such a screwed up sleep schedule! Do you realize how unhealthy it is to not have a stable sleeping routine?" I regret to say that I squealed a little and then blushed with a cough once I realized it.

"What do you think you are, a _doctor_? I've been around long enough to know what I'm doing. Hell, I practically _raised_ my little brother. Don't think you're so high and mighty with your perfectly normal schedule and don't go thinking you know better than me, because you _don't_."

"Um… Gilbert?" I started carefully. "I _am_ a doctor." He stared at me, momentarily caught off guard.

"What? You said you were a _vet_!" Gilbert exclaimed. I nodded.

"Yeah. I am. Vets are doctors."

"Yeah, okay, sure, _animal_ doctors. That doesn't make you a _real_ doctor." He scoffed. I glared.

"Humans _are_ animals."

"Well. That's. That's, uh, stupid." Gilbert declared. I sighed.

"This is going to be a _long_ month."

* * *

**I really feel like Prussia would be an insomniac. Cause he got problems and stuff.**

**Canada doesn't speak German. Prussia's going to keep calling him ****_Fraulein_**** until Canada figures it out.**

**Yeaah that's all sorry.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi. This chapter is much longer. There's a lot more swearing than there has been in the past couple chapters.**

**It was supposed to be very humorous but it ended up just being full of tension.**

**My sister said it felt awkward to read and I don't know whether to believe her or not.**

**The point of view switches a couple times, but I trust that you guys are smart enough to figure out who is speaking so I didn't label it.**

* * *

**December 4****th**

I lounged on the couch, bored without Mattie's constant presence to entertain me. He had offered to go in to work so one of his coworkers could meet someone for a lunch date or some other stupid shit like that. I had asked why he couldn't just get someone else to do it and he had said that he had volunteered to do it. Almost as if he was trying to get away from me.

Nah.

He probably just couldn't handle all the sexy awesomeness that was myself for such extended periods of time.

Yeah, that's definitely what it was. Just like everyone else I knew.

I yawned.

If only I could find something awesome enough to entertain myself with.

I had already gone through all of Mattie's games, even the multiplayer ones. The awesome me could handle being several people at a time. I was just that awesome.

I had already ransacked the entire lower levels of the house searching for some good German beer. Either he was hiding it somewhere ridiculously obscure, or... well, no. That had to be it. There was no way a house this awesome wasn't housing good German beer.

I had already rearranged the living room three or four times before deciding that that was one thing Mattie _had _gotten right and putting it back the way it was before.

I had already alphabetized the bookshelf because I had lived in a perfectly organized house for most of my life and Mattie's house was so pristine _except for that one spot_. So I fixed it for him. Out of the kindness of my heart.

So basically there was nothing left to do. Except for calling Mattie. That'd be fun.

Except he said not to do that unless it was an _extreme emergency_ and if I called and it wasn't he would beat me with his hockey stick until I couldn't move.

Of course it was an empty threat because nobody as petite and adorable as Mattie could defeat someone as awesome as me, but still. Best play it safe.

Mattie had mentioned a… what was it? The neighborhood's 'resident crazy'? That sounded like fun.

I tended to have a certain special way with psychopaths. It's probably because my best friend growing up was originally perfectly normal and almost even awesome enough to be around me. But then she slowly went crazy the longer she knew me- obviously because she couldn't process the levels of awesome I was exuding- and she eventually became your average pan-wielding psychopath.

So I was really good with those types of people since I had been around them my entire life.

Maybe I should pay this one a visit. Mattie said they were friends, so there must be a little bit of awesomeness somewhere in him.

Or her.

Never assume all psychopaths are boys. Girls are _crazy_. I gave up on them years ago.

Anyways.

I decided that it was practically my _duty_ as the most awesome person on earth to grace this friend of Mattie's with my awesome presence.

So I leaped off the couch, walked down Mattie's long-ass driveway, and strolled down the street, using my awesome crazy-sensors to lead the way. Most of the houses in the neighborhood were pretty woodsy looking with long, shaded paths leading up to front porches made of dark red brick.

All except one, that is. Three houses from the end was a large, white building that had the feel of a miniature mansion. There were still plenty of trees spanning the yard, but the long brick driveway was lined with rows upon rows of sunflowers.

That just _had_ to be it.

Satisfied with my awesome deduction, I sauntered up to the house, opened the door without knocking, and proceeded to the kitchen. The light was on, and I was surprised to see a tall, pale man wearing a sweater and a scarf sitting on a couch and knitting. Actually, he seemed pretty familiar…

_Sheiße, _I totally accidentally vandalized his plumbing shop that one time when I was drunk.

And _Sheiße_, he seemed to recognize me too.

I was so totally screwed.

"Hello, little one. You remember me, da?"

* * *

I tossed my keys on the counter, toed off my shoes, and plopped down on the couch, exhausted. There weren't really that many patients but weekday customers were always more hurried, harried, and just plain impatient with the doctors. Dealing with them was something I avoided by taking weekend shifts most of the time. I worked that day for the mere sake of getting away from Gilbert.

I mean, sure, I liked having the guy around and he was fairly entertaining all in himself, but he was also the sort of person you just needed a break from. A lot like Alfred, really. They both talked and talked and talked for hours on end and I was so used to the tranquil quiet in my house that it was quite the change.

It was at that moment that I realized I was experiencing that same tranquility, as Gilbert didn't appear to be around. I quickly checked the downstairs before running upstairs, just in case he had broken our agreement, but the albino was nowhere to be found. Panicking slightly and not knowing why (it was a _good_ thing if he upped and left, right?), I called his cell phone and waited as it rang.

"Hello, Matvey." _Ivan_? Why was _Ivan_ answering _Gilbert's_ phone? Unless… oh, no. This was bad. This was _really_ bad.

"Ivan," I greeted quietly. "What have you done to Gilbert?"

"Kolkolkol…" Ivan laughed, and I shivered. "Nothing too bad. Why? Is he yours?"

"Yes, actually he is." I growled. God, if there was a single _scratch_ on him… things were gonna get bloody. "Now will you send him home or do I have to go pick him up?"

"How about Matvey comes to my house and we can talk about your pet?" It wasn't even a question.

"Fine," I sighed. "I'll be there in a minute." I pulled my shoes back on and speed-walked to Ivan's house. The bright yellow sunflowers seemed to mock me and I glared at them. I didn't bother knocking, knowing that Ivan and Gilbert were probably waiting for me.

"Hello, comrade. See? Your pet is unharmed." Ivan said in way of acknowledgment. Apparently, 'unharmed' means something completely different to him than it did to me. Gilbert was sitting in- well, no. Gilbert was _tied to_ a hard wooden chair with several lengths of rope and his mouth was duct-taped shut.

"Really? You _tied him up_? Was that really necessary?" I exclaimed. I moved to approach Gilbert, but Ivan blocked me. I scowled.

"Your little pet is guilty of vandalizing my property. He had to pay." My glower turned to Gilbert, and I like to think that he quivered a little before I returned my gaze to Ivan. "In fact, I don't think I'm quite ready to let him go." I ran a hand through my hair in frustration.

"What do you want?"

"I want to have Matvey all Saturday." Ivan declared. There were immediately muffled sounds of protest from Gilbert, but we both ignored him.

"No," I argued. "I work Saturday."

"Friday, then." Ivan's childish smile was unwavering.

"Deal. Can Gilbert come, though? I don't really want to leave him alone after this."

"Nyet. He has no place in our personal affairs."

"Fine," I sighed. "I'll find something to do with him." We shook hands, and then Ivan disappeared into the house, leaving me to free Gilbert.

I sighed, looked at the knots, walked to the kitchen, and came back with a steak knife. Gilbert looked mistrustful, but seemed to know better than to struggle. I made quick work of the rope, left the duct tape on, and left the house. Gilbert followed.

"You fucking _idiot_!" I screeched the moment we were outdoors. "What the _hell_ do you think you were doing? Antagonizing Ivan? I told you he was my _friend_! Do you not want me to have any _friends_? I mean, really! I understand that you're a spoiled little _brat_, but now you're making _me_ pay for _your_ mistakes! I mean, no wonder you brother didn't want to leave you alone in the house! I left for _four hours_ and you've vandalized public property and gotten yourself captured by my mentally unstable neighbor, resulting in _me_ having to give up _my Friday_ to save you. God!"

I wasn't by any means done, but we had reached the house and I realized that Gilbert was trying to slowly peel off the duct tape. Angrily, I pinned him to the wall and ripped off the tape. He screamed like a little girl and stared at me in horror. I spun away and stalked towards the kitchen, Gilbert following like a lost puppy.

"You fucking _pansy_! No wonder you practically begged me to let you stay here- everyone else probably didn't want to deal with a baby for a whole month! I can't believe you managed to get in so much trouble in a single day! You-"

"Stop! Just stop! You don't _know_ me! You can't say these things about me! I _didn't_ vandalize your friend's property today. It was _weeks_ ago, and I was _drunk_! You can't blame me- I barely even remember it!" He cut me off, arguing.

"Oh, as if that's any better- you were _drunk_. You said you were a bartender and I was afraid you were one of those smelly bums who have nothing better to do with their life than sit behind a bar all day and serve drunkards who are just making their life worse. But then I told myself 'no, he's just a little eccentric. Maybe he's one of those trendy bartenders at the classy bars in the city'. But I guess I was wrong. You get drunk and you _vandalize people's property_. I don't even know why I'm wasting my time with you!"

"I'm sorry, okay?! I didn't go over there because I wanted to cause trouble! I went there because you said he was your friend so I figured he had to be at least a little bit as awesome as you- although that's turning out to be not very awesome at all- so I thought we could be friends! _He's_ the one fucking _tied me up_!"

"Don't make this about Ivan's problems! That's how he tries to make friends, because he doesn't want people to leave them and he doesn't know how else to make them stay! Didn't you see how the only replacement for letting you go was me spending a day with him? God! Is there any sensitivity in you _at all_?"

"I said I was sorry! I don't know what else you want from me!" Gilbert's face was an unusually bright red and I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself.

"I just need some space, okay?" I slunk upstairs and flopped face down on the bed before he could respond. What had I done?

* * *

Ugh. I couldn't believe Ivan had _stolen_ Gilbert from me! I mean, sure, we were both low on friends, but I got to him first!

I felt kinda bad about taking my anger and frustration out on Gilbert, but when it was time for the angry Canadian to come out, the angry Canadian came out.

Actually, I felt _really_ bad about that, once I thought about it.

Gilbert was right- I _didn't_ know him. I didn't have the right to judge him that way. Sure, maybe he was a low down, smelly, bum of a bartender. But if he was, then wasn't it my job to help him find a better place in his life?

I had seen that he had gone through all my games before placing them back on the shelf, and he had even organized my books. It was clear that he had tried plenty of things to entertain himself while I was gone before he went to Ivan's. And he hadn't even resorted to calling me.

Wow, I was just continuously making myself feel worse now. I knew I needed to go back downstairs and apologize, but I couldn't muster the confidence to even pull myself upright, much less face the man I had just wrongly shamed.

* * *

It was three-ish in the morning and I hadn't managed to fall asleep- too wracked with guilt to do much of anything, really. I was tired enough to feel like I could do whatever I wanted (maybe that's where Gilbert got his confidence), so I trudged downstairs, hoping a certain German man would be awake and willing to listen.

I found Gilbert sitting at the kitchen table, looking surprisingly lost and sad. Regret hit me like a ton of bricks, and I approached him with my head down.

"Hey…uh… Gil?" I whispered, unwilling to ever raise my voice again after the fiasco earlier that evening. He didn't respond, but turned to look at me. There were deep purple bags under his eyes, and they stood out against his pale skin. "I'm really really sorry for lashing out at you today. I… I was wrong. I don't have the right to judge you that way and I'll do anything make up for it."

"No," he sighed at last. "You were kinda right. I was just upset that you hit the nail on the head, I guess. I don't really know what I'm doing with my life. Bartending was just supposed to be a temporary job, but I've been at it for seven years. They keep threatening to fire me and that terrifies me because I have no idea what I'd do. Luddy and Feli are probably getting married sooner or later and Luddy will never say it but I'll have to move out when that happens. I don't know where I'll go or what I'll do. I'm... I'm so damn lost." I stared at him sadly, unsure how to comfort him. Nighttime Gilbert was very different from Daytime Gilbert.

"Well…" I began with a wry smile. "you could always stay with me."

And his grin was blinding.

* * *

**I feel... like they are very OOC. Canada especially.**

**Prussia thought process is very fun to write.**

**I felt really bad about making them fight because that wasn't supposed to happen, but I hope ending it on a good note made up for that.**

**Although I think I'm making their relationship progress way too quickly. Oh well.**

**Tell me what you thought, ja?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Wow. So this chapter is really really long. And it took me forever. And I hadn't planned on a chapter like this. But I was walking on the beach in the middle of the night and decided it had to be done. So I did it. And it took forever. And I could have posted it in chunks but that's not how I want to format this story so oh well.**

**There are quite a few changes in POV in this chapter. Again, I trust you're all intelligent enough to figure it out.**

**Warning: there are several mentions of cross dressing in this chapter and in fact it's a huge part of the plot. If this offends you (though I doubt it does), don't read it. There's also several mentions of sex. So yeah. Deal.**

**All else, enjoy.**

* * *

**December 6****th**

"MATTIEEEEEEE!" My head snapped up as the door slammed. Mattie wasn't home- he had gone to work _yet again_ for some reason. Whoever this intruder was was going to pay. I had been playing castle where Mattie was a princess locked up in a tower and there was a great white dragon that guarded her and protected her from any suitors that would do her harm. So far, all prospective suitors had been Russian, and they had all died horrible deaths.

Some guy with blond hair came blasting into the living room, and I made a mental note to add some American suitors in there. They would die horrible deaths as well.

Meanwhile, I stood up and faced my foe.

"Who are you?" We both demanded at the same time.

"What are you doing here?" I tried again. The guy stared at me.

"What are _you_ doing here?" He countered. I stared back.

"I asked you first. And I _live_ here."

"No, you don't. _Mattie_ lives here." The guy insisted.

"Yeah, I know. And I live _with_ him." I argued. The guy glared at me.

"You're trying to _seduce_ him, aren't you?!" The guy accused. I glared back.

"No, of _course_ not! We're friends!"

"Don't bother lying. I know your type." The guy hissed.

"I'm not lying!" I exclaimed. The guy scowled at me.

"Just shut up, will ya? Listen now, and listen well. Mattie isn't available, and he will _never_ be available if I have anything to say about it. So don't you dare try anything on him because if you do, I will hunt you down, I will find you, and I will kill you. Do you understand?" The guy said threateningly. I scowled back. Mattie never said _anything_ about having a _boyfriend_.

"Whatever you say," I responded sarcastically.

* * *

I drove down the street, hoping that the peace would hold today and I wouldn't have to pull Gilbert out a sticky situation. My hopes crashed and burned when I saw Alfred's car in the driveway. Those two had probably been fighting like cats since the moment they saw each other. I opened the front door rather timidly, prepared to attempt damage control.

"MATTIEEEEEEE!"

"Oomph," I groaned as I was enveloped in one of Al's over-enthusiastic bear hugs. "Alfred," I began when he finally let me go, unable to keep the smile out of my voice. "where's Gilbert?" Alfred's face instantly darkened and I sighed.

"You gotta get that guy out of here, he's gonna try and rape you, ya gotta believe me, Mattie!" He declared.

"No, Al, you've got it wrong-"

"You've gotta start speaking up for yourself! I can't believe you're letting that pervert stay with you! Mattie, this is a really bad idea!"

"Alfred!" I exclaimed, desperately trying to get his attention.

"What?!" he snapped.

"Gilbert doesn't mean any harm. He needed a place to stay and I allowed him to stay here since I have a guest room. He obeys my rules and he doesn't cause too much trouble. Don't worry about it. I can take care of myself, okay?" Alfred grumbled, but didn't immediately protest. "Now, what do you want?"

"Wha- what do you mean?" He asked, trying and failing to sound innocent.

"What did you come here for?" I tried again.

"What, can't I visit my little bro?"

"You can, but you don't. You only come here when you need something from me. So what do you want?" I demanded, tired of his evasions. He exhaled noisily.

"Well, you see, our ten year high school reunion is tonight." Alfred said quietly. I brightened, a little touched that he had taken the time to tell me.

"Oh, cool. I don't think I got an invitation..." I frowned a little at the thought. I knew _I_ was invisible to the world in general, but my name had to be on the list- was even _that_ invisible?

"Come on, Mattie, are you really that surprised?" Alfred laughed. I glared at him.

"You're a douchebag."

"Yeah, sure, whatever. Anyways, you know how whenever there's a high school reunion you're supposed to bring your family and everything and show off how much better you are without your high school friends?" He asked.

"I kinda thought the point was to catch up with the old friends from high school that you've missed talking to over the years, but sure, whatever, that's practically the same thing." Alfred ignored my sarcasm and went on.

"Whatever. So, basically, I've been checking out the Facebook pages of most of the football guys, and they're all married to these gorgeous blonde bimbos- ya know, trophy wives."

"Alfred, no. Don't even think about it." I growled, knowing where he was going with this.

"Come on, Mattie! I was the star quarterback! I can't go back to see all their smug faces and their wives and children when I'm all by myself! I need you to do this for me!"

"Did you ever even stop to think that maybe I'd want to go as _myself _instead of a _girl_?" I snarled, furious that all Alfred ever seemed to think about was himself.

"Dude, nobody even remembers you! What's the point in going as yourself? It'd just make you gloomy and I hate it when you're gloomy." I hated that he was right.

"I had friends, you know. I was in band- I played the French horn, remember?"

"And there were only five French horn players in the entire school. I hate saying this to you, you know I do, but I don't want you to hurt yourself because _you are invisible_. I don't think that even those five horns remember you. I really don't." He claimed softly.

"Fine. Fine, I'll be your damn _trophy wife_." I agreed, frustrated with the harsh truths I was being faced with.

"Thank you so much, Mattie! I love you! I'll pick you up at 4. Oh, and you should wear the blue dress!" And Alfred was out the door before I could say another word.

* * *

_"MATTIEEEEEEE!" _I scowled when the guy ran to greet Mattie. He locked the door behind him, obviously trying to keep me away, and I moved to press my ear against the thick wooden door, painfully curious about how Mattie would act around this guy.

_"You gotta get that guy out of here, he's gonna try and rape you, ya gotta believe me, Mattie!" _What a _Sheiβkopf_. I would never rape someone, especially not Mattie. That's just sick.

_"No, Al, you've got it wrong-" _Well at least Mattie knew better. For some reason, that made me feel undefinably better about myself.

_"Wha- what do you mean?" _Ugh. This guy's stupidity was getting on my nerves. How did Mattie put up with him? Why were they even dating?

_"What did you come here for?" _It was clear that Mattie was annoyed with his presence. Maybe he wanted to break up with him or something. That's be great. But, oh, crap- he would never be able to dump someone! He was way too placating and quiet and shy! I'd have to help him out.

_"What, can't I visit my little boyfriend?" _Wow, what a derogatory pet name. Mattie deserved so much better than this guy. Those American suitors were going _down_.

_"You can, but you don't. You only come here when you need something from me. So what do you want?" _No, but really. I knew Mattie was pretty alone, so I figured he didn't have a boyfriend. But apparently he _did_ have a boyfriend, and he just happened to be a really douchey and neglectful one.

_"You're a douchebag." _Crap, I missed part of the conversation. Well, at least Mattie agreed with me. _"Alfred, no. Don't even think about it." _Ooh, he was getting angry. They were speaking quieter, so I could only hear every couple of lines, but I still got the gist of what they were saying.

_"Dude, nobody even remembers you! What's the point in being yourself? It'd just make you gloomy and I hate it when you're gloomy."_ Really. _Mein Gott._ This guy was a complete and utter piece of shit. How dare he say something like that to Mattie? Mattie was absolutely perfect the way he his, and this _Alfred_ guy had no right to say otherwise, boyfriend or not.

_"I hate saying this to you, you know I do, but I don't want you to hurt yourself because _you are invisible_." _No wonder he was quiet and insecure- he had to put up with this bullshit for years! I mean, what the hell? As soon as the guy left, I would have to set him straight.

_"Fine. Fine, I'll be your damn _trophy wife_."_ Wait, what? Did the Alfred guy just _propose_ or something? And Mattie _accepted_? What? Why? How was that even happening?

_"Thank you so much, Mattie! I love you! I'll pick you up at 4. Oh, and you should wear the blue dress!" _What. Even.

* * *

I sighed in frustration. Due to Alfred's selfish demands and late notice, I would have to start getting ready almost immediately. It took a lot of time and work to turn one's male self into a convincing, exceptionally attractive female. I proceeded to the kitchen, knowing I would have to satisfy Gilbert's curiosity before I could get anything else done.

"Mattie!" Gilbert exclaimed when he saw me walk through the door. "I don't know what he asked you to do but whatever it was, don't listen to him you don't have to do anything he tells you to you only have to do what you want to don't cave to him be your own person!" I stared at him as he let out a deep breath, as if he had been waiting for me to enter so he could say that.

"Look, Gilbert, don't worry. It's not that big of a deal. Alfred's ideas are harmless. Usually. It'll be fine, though. We've done this before, I know what I'm doing. Okay?" He opened his mouth to reply, but nothing but stutters came out. I smiled. He'd be fine. "I might need help with my dress later, though, if you're willing." Gilbert nodded vaguely, and I left to get ready.

First, I needed to take a shower. That was _always_ step one, as my friend Feliks had taught me. The first time Al had asked me to pretend to be his date was freshman year of high school, for the winter formal. As much as everyone saw my brother as a popular sports star, he had always been a dork on the inside. He said this was merely my shameful influence, but that was obviously bullshit.

Once Alfred convinced me to be his 'girlfriend', I had to figure how to be a girl. It was a lot harder than it sounded, to be honest. It took me a while to gather my confidence, but once I had, I approached the school's renowned cross-dresser and asked for advice.

In all honesty, Feliks was way too excited about having someone under his tutelage. He had spent weeks giving me daily lessons on how to perfect one's female image until he dubbed me an 'expert cross-dresser'. I had never been sure how to feel about that title. The work definitely paid off when I had to use my learnings in the years following. When I was a girl, I was noticed- sometimes _too_ much, but it was refreshing, nonetheless- and nobody ever suspected a thing.

My shower took much longer when preparing for an evening out of this nature. I had to carefully shave my legs and armpits and make sure that my hair was perfectly taken care of. Once I had finished showering, I got out and wrapped a towel around my waist so my skin could air-dry while I did my hair. I had to blow dry my hair and brush it in twists in order to match the style of my extensions. I added the extensions once my hair was completely dry so that it ended a couple inches below my shoulders and spent a couple minutes making sure the seam between reality and lies was flawless.

Doing my hair was the hardest part, so everything was downhill from there. I had to pluck my eyebrows a little bit due to society's ridiculous standards for girls' eyebrows. I washed my face and went through the process of exfoliation. Feliks had always taught me to not go halfway, so I had developed a routine for my alternate form, and there was no deviating from that routine.

After that, I applied foundation and a little bit of correction. I never liked putting on very much makeup- I was still a _man_, thank you very much- but a least a little bit was necessary. Next was eye shadow, eye liner, and then mascara. I was already a relatively androgynous-looking guy, so I didn't have to wear fake eyelashes in order emphasize my eyes, thank goodness. Just a little bit of extra color to highlight the rare purple tones I possessed.

I despised going through the process of putting on lotion, lip stain, lipstick, and lip gloss, but I had been drilled in the fact that doing your lips correctly could make or break the image of your face. I didn't see it, but I had never had the strength to argue with Feliks' methods.

I spritzed perfume on my wrists and rubbed it on my neck. I was finally dry from my shower by that time, so I applied lotion to my long, newly-smooth legs. Jewelry was the one thing I refused to do, so I skipped that. I went to the back of my underwear drawer and pulled out one of the few thongs I owned, slipping it on before I could feel embarrassed about it.

The dress Alfred had requested was a gorgeous indigo that came to four or five inches above the knee. The neckline was pretty high with wide straps, but the body of the dress wrapped to fit my natural (unfortunately) feminine curves. The general shape was so conservative only because I didn't have any breasts, so it was impossible to wear anything that was made to show cleavage. I did, however, wear fake stuffed breasts to create the large-bosomed look that Alfred was asking for. Unfortunately, I couldn't actually reach the zipper, so I would have to ask for Gilbert's assistance.

Back in the day when I was taking lessons with Feliks, I had been compelled to wear five inch heels to school in order to master the talent of walking like I was on a runway. At first I was afraid people would make fun of me for wearing heels, but then I remembered I was invisible and it never turned into a problem.

Smirking slightly, I pulled on a pair of stilettos that were the exact same shade of blue as my dress and headed downstairs. Gilbert was in what seemed like the exact spot I had left him in who knows how many hours ago. He didn't glance up when I entered, so I walked over and leaned carefully against the kitchen counter.

"Hey, Gilbert," I began softly, purposely adding a teasing lilt to my voice. "could you help me with something, maybe?" Slowly, he pulled his head up to look at me and his jaw dropped. It took many hard-earned abdominal muscles to keep my laughter in. He looked so dumbfounded.

"W-wha? _Was_?"

"I can't reach the zipper on my dress. Can you do it for me?" I turned around to present him with my back, simultaneously pulling my hair out of the way. Still stuttering, Gilbert scrambled to his feet and approached me. I could feel the heat emanating from his whole body as his trembling fingers pulled the zipper up my back.

"Are you really going to wear that?" He demanded suddenly.

"What's wrong with it?" I wondered, a little worried. I had never gotten _that_ particular reaction before.

"It… it's _blue_." Gilbert replied. I frowned.

"What's wrong with blue?"

"Well… wouldn't you wear like, _white_, or something?" I almost laughed at the question.

"_White_? Really? Do you have _any_ fashion sense?"

"I didn't think it was about fashion… more about tradition, I think…" Gilbert was muttering and I could barely understand what he was saying.

"You act like I'm going to be a bride or something." I giggled. "Don't worry. I told you: I've done this before. I know what I'm doing. It's going to be fine." He let out a deep breath and stepped away from me very deliberately. I turned and gave him a winning smile. "Thanks, Gil." I breathed before leaving the room brusquely, oddly pleased by the effect I had on him.

_Ding Dong!_

I smiled, glad to see that my brother hadn't changed- he was exactly on time. Meaning half an hour late, of course, but at least he was consistent. I swung open the front door and was greeted by Alfred wearing a blue dress shirt to match my dress, a black jacket and slacks, and a large smile.

"Good evening, _Madeline_." He teased. I grinned, used to our banter.

"Good evening, _dear_." I replied in turn.

"Ready to go?" Alfred asked, extending his arm.

"Of course." I took his arm and stepped through the doorway, closing the door behind me.

"Then let's be off."

* * *

I frowned when the door closed behind Mattie and that Alfred guy. There were a lot of things for me to think about before Mattie got home. Let's start with thinking about him because I don't want to think about myself and face my feelings because that's just too easy.

So. Mattie was gay, apparently. And he had a boyfriend. A long-term douchebag of a boyfriend. The stupid guy was in about 90% of the pictures displayed around the house, and those went back pretty far. So he was also probably a family friend. Which sucked. I don't know why it sucked, it just did.

Aaaand the guy was a douchebag, as previously stated. He didn't show up ever until one random day where he appears without warning. _I_ would never do that, except that's what I did when… well… that doesn't matter. He was still an überly unawesome douchey little piece of shit.

And so he showed up randomly… and degraded Mattie with feminine terms- I mean, come on, 'trophy wife'? Really?- and then proposed to him... and then Mattie accepted… and then the Alfred guy left, Mattie turned into a girl- _Madeline_- and then they left together. What the heck. So unawesome.

And Madeline was wearing a _blue_ dress to her _wedding_? What? I didn't know that was even _legal_! There had to be some sort of rule about that or something! But… before he left, Mattie- no, _Madeline_- said that they'd done that before. Does that mean they'd gotten married before? And then divorced? And then married again? Why? Why were they so casual about it?

And Mattie was still so young! He was only, like, 27 or something. Well, okay, that was older than I expected once I actually thought about it. But still. Who did that? That was ridiculous. Everything I knew about Mattie said he was a reasonable, responsible adult. Except apparently he had been married to the same guy at least once before, if not more.

Unless… unless they hadn't ever really gotten married. It might all just be some weird sex game they played. That was very possible. I had been friends with Francis for too long to rule a thought like that out. Maybe they had some really weird kink about getting married or something.

But that didn't explain the whole thing where the Alfred guy just randomly showed up and made Mattie turn into a girl. Well. That could still be explained with sex. I mean, cross dressing was a normal thing for people who were weird in the bedroom, right? Like that Swedish guy and his 'wife' thing, right?

I didn't like the thought of the Alfred guy having sex with Mattie. He wouldn't treat him right. Not that it really mattered what I thought. It was none of my business.

But wait a minute what about that Russian guy- _Ivan_. He had demanded to 'have' Mattie for a whole day. Sure, he could just be speaking in his stupid Russian way, but that was unlikely. They were obviously talking about sex then, too. That's probably why Matthew was so upset. I wouldn't want to have sex with someone like that either.

But Mattie was still willing to do it. For me. That was kinda… nice. And really awesome.

So that Russian guy knew to bargain with Mattie for sex in return for my release. And this Alfred guy showed up without notice and got Mattie to have kinky cross dressing sex with him. So maybe Mattie was just 'friends with benefits' with a bunch of people. Or he was a slut.

Oh crap, what if he was a prostitute?

And I was _attracted_ to him.

I was so screwed.

* * *

The reunion was fine. Alfred was pleased with using me to show off to his old friends and I was pleased with the appreciative looks I got from the men and the jealous looks I got from the women. Nobody remembered me, except the stoners who had always thought I was a girl in the first place, so they didn't really count since they didn't even know my name. Feliks had noticed us, of course, and rambled on about how proud he was that I was continuing his work after high school before I managed to escape.

Despite all that, I was rather pleased with the evening and had fun meeting people I knew I would never have to deal with ever again. The food was free and the music was good. After the reunion we went out to dinner and then to an arcade because in the end we were brothers and it was rare for Alfred to visit me. It was late night or early morning by the time I got back home, and I was exhausted.

I stumbled into the house and tossed off the devil shoes, rubbing my sore feet tiredly. I slouched into the kitchen, planning on pigging out on ice cream before collapsing in bed before I remembered that Gilbert was probably still up. It turned out that I was right about that, for I could see the outline of a slumped figure on the couch. He flinched when I turned on the light and I chuckled, joining him.

"Hey," I sighed in greeting.

"Hey." Gilbert grunted in response.

"I'm so tired." I whined.

"That asshole wear you out that much?" I turned my head sharply to examine the albino, surprised by his bitter tone.

"What do you mean?"

"Well I guess you go out and have all kinds of weird sex all the time while I usually just sit at home and-"

"Whoa whoa whoa wait what are you talking about?" I demanded.

"You just got back from a night of having sex with your boyfriend/friend with benefits/client or whatever, right?"

"What? No! Gilbert, Alfred is my _brother_." I clarified urgently. Where had he gotten _that_ idea?

"Your _brother_? That's even _worse_!" Gilbert exclaimed, and I scrambled to correct him.

"No! What- we didn't have sex!"

"Oh, sure, of course you didn't." he said sarcastically. I glared at him.

"I'm serious!"

"Really?"

"Yes! Why would you think I had sex with my _brother_? That's so weird!" Man. We were really bad at communicating.

"I thought he was your boyfriend." Gilbert grumbled. I laughed at that.

"No, no way. I don't have a boyfriend. I've _never_ had a boyfriend, actually." I explained. Gilbert gave me a scrutinizing look.

"So you _are_ a prostitute?"

"What? No! Why- what is it with you and all these weird ideas about my nonexistent sex life?"

"Well there's gotta be _some_ sort of explanation! It just doesn't make sense!" Gilbert cried out.

"Okay, okay, okay. Here we go. Alfred is my brother. He is relatively incapable of getting a girlfriend so I have been his fake girlfriend for years whenever he needed one for show. Tonight was our high school's ten year reunion and he insisted on having a 'trophy wife' with him. As much as I object to that term, this is what we've done for years. It's not a big deal anymore, and I had _fun_. That's _it_. So don't think I just sleep around or whatever weird idea you've gotten in your head, and I'm _definitely_ not a prostitute. I'm just me. Okay?"

"But what about that Russian guy?" I blinked for a moment, trying to figure out what he was asking.

"Oh. No, when he asked to 'have me' for a day, he meant he just wanted to hang out. I think." Sure, it could be difficult to figure out what Ivan's true intentions were since he was still learning the English language and any non-literal phrase confused him, but it was still pretty easy to understand what he meant in the end.

"You _think_? You don't _know_?" Gilbert seemed outraged by it, though, and I wasn't sure why. It didn't have anything to do with him, did it? Except… I had felt the same way when Gilbert got caught up with Ivan. Huh.

"I'll be fine. You worry too much. Ivan is harmless, as long as you don't provoke him."

"Ugh. Fine. But you'll be careful when you go to his house, right? I… I don't want you to get hurt." I smiled. So he _did_ care. That was kinda … nice. And really awesome.

"Of course I will. Now, can you help me with the zipper again?" I asked, once again presenting him with my back. He quickly undid the zipper and I let out a sigh of relief at being allowed to breathe freely. "Thanks, Gil." This time I wasn't teasing him just for the fun of it. I was tired and glad to be out of a dress. As strange and troublesome as Gilbert could be, he was so much kinder than he pretended.

"So when were you going to mention that you're a cross dresser?"

* * *

**I'm just going to say this: I had to interview my sister to figure out how to do Matthew's makeup. I have never worn any makeup in my entire life. It took a lot of work to write that scene. Please understand that I have no idea what I'm talking about.**

**Writing Prussia's thought process and making him warp the situation enough to reach his conclusions was rather difficult as well. I hope it all made sense with the different layers of thought and such.**

**I ship AmeCan very very much so I had to have some brotherly action going on. I also ship RusCan, so you can see where that played in.**

**Thoughts? Concerns? Questions? **


End file.
